Spinning top and holder



May 24, 1960 J. H. CUNNINGHAM SPINNING TOP AND HOLDER Filed Sept. 16, 1958 FIG..3

INVENTOR J. H CUNNINGHAM ATTORNEY tine SPINNING TOP AND HOLDER john H. Cunningham, 708 Brookwood Road, Baltimore, Md.

Filed Sept. 16, 1958, Ser. No. 761,419

7 Claims. (Cl. 46-72) This invention relates to educational devices including those which both interest and entertain and which are intended to retain the attention of children and to teach them as well as to keep them occupied and out of mischief.

The invention also relates to educational devices which not only attract the attention and cause the exercise of the mental faculties but invite and cause physical participation thereby contributing toward the development of sound minds in sound bodies.

The invention is concerned specifically with travelling rotating bodies including spinning tops and the like which remain in a definite position and resist gravity or the attraction of the earth and other influences.

Heretofore one of the problems has been the launching of such rotating tops or other bodies and particularly by the young and inexperienced and more or less limiting individual participation on the project and with maximum chance of injury to property or person.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the difiiculties enumerated and to provide a spinning top and holder for use in spinning such top of simple and inexpensive construction and ease of operation by unskilled persons and without injury to persons or property.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spinning top and holder which can be used to launch the top into its orbit by the mere holding of the holder in one hand and the pulling of a spinning cord wound around the spindle of the top with the other with the force of the pull acting to release the top and allowing it to leave its launching holder.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spinning top and holder by which the top may be held and automatically released with both its rate of rotation and its release determined by the force applied to produce the rotation of the top and the release and rate of rotation being variable.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective illustrating one application of the invention;

Fig. 2, a fragmentary top plan view; and

Fig. 3, a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Briefly stated the invention is a spinning top of generally frusto-conical shape having a spindle and a body from both ends of which the spindle projects and with an annular opening in the intermediate portion of the body for the reception of a spinning cord and an opening in the portion of the spindle within such annular opening for the reception of the end of the cord.

The holder for such top is generally U-shaped with a handle at one side and with the substantially parallel ends of the holder slotted to receive the ends of the spindle of the top. The end disposed at the point or base of the top is adapted to be closed at its outer side to provide a floor or support for the spindle and the top.

The holder is provided with a slot for the reception of the spinning cord, such slot being in a slightly lower horizontal plane than the annular opening in the top when the top is held by the holder. When the spinning cord is pulled through the slot in a manner to unwind such cord and cause the top to revolve, such cord will exert a downward pull on the top so that its upper substantially flat surface does not engage the overlying end portion of the holder, thus making it unnecessary to use springs or the like for holding the top in its lowermost position.

A tension lever or bar has one end pivotally mounted on the holder and is bent at substantially right angles to provide a retaining force on the remote side of the top from the main body of the holder which lever offers resistance to the top rotating until a pre-determined force is applied to the spinning cord and transmitted to the top whereupon the top will swing the lever aside and will be rotated and released.

With continued reference to the drawing, the spinning top of the present invention has a central spindle 10 with a body 11 mounted thereon and a central annular space or slot 12 for the reception of a spinning cord 13. The spindle is provided with an opening 14 through which the end of such cord may be inserted and the cord wound around the spindle and pulled to produce rapid rotation of the top. The gyroscopic action of the top will cause it to remain in the same upright position in which it was held prior to the imparting of rotation thereto and its release. The cord 13 may have an anchoring portion 15 in the form of a ring or crossbar secured to its end to prevent the cord from slipping from the grasp of the hand.

A holder may be provided for use in spinning the top and may be in the form of a substantially U-shaped body of relatively flat plastic or other stock. The bight or connecting portion 16 of the holder is of a length corresponding substantially to the length of the spindle 10 and is provided with upper and lower end portions or legs 17 and 18 substantially at right angles to such bight or connecting portion. The upper leg or end portion 17 is adapted to engage the upper end of the spindle 10 and is provided centrally of its extremity with a slot 7 19 for the reception of the spindle. The lower leg or end portion 18 is located at the point or bottom end of the top and is provided with a groove 21 in which the lower end of the spindle is supported.

The bight or connecting portion 16 of the holder is provided with a slot 22 for receiving the spinning cord 13. The opening 22 is at a slightly lower plane or elevation than the annular opening 12 in the top so that when the spinning cord is pulled and unwound not only will it impart rotation to the top, but it will tend'to urge the same downwardly so that there will be no frictional engagement between the upper surface of the top and the overlying end portion of the holder.

In order to maintain the top in the proper position in the holder and to offer resistance to the initial rotation of the top to increase the initial velocity thereof a tension bar or lever 23 is pivotally mounted on the upper leg portion 17 of the holder. The central portion of such lever is located in a groove 24 around a boss or projection 25 and has bight portion 26 encircling the boss and with the extremities of the lever bent at right angles to Patented May 24, 1961) p all that is necessaryto apply the lever 1s to place it around the boss,"P'resits ..end portions together and slip the resilient tube or sleeve thereover.

In the spinning of the top, the end of the spinning cord is inserted through the opening 14 in the spindle and the cord is wound around the spindle. The top is inserted in the holder with the upper ends of the spindle in the slot 19 and the lower end of the spindle in the groove 21 whereupon the lever 23 with its depending arms 27 in the sleeve 28 is swung around the boss 25 until it is on the opposite side of the top from the body of the holder and in frictional engagement with the top. Thereafter the spinning cord is placed in the slot 22 and with the handle 29 of the holder held in the left hand, force is applied to the cord '13 sufiicient to overcome friction between the top and the resilient sleeve 28, whereupon the sleeve will be pivoted to one side and the top will be discharged from the holder by motion imparted thereto.

When such release is effected, the top will fall to the floor or other surface and continue to spin until it has lost its momentum.

The body of the top as well as the holder may be made of any desired material such as plastic, light weight metal, or other suitable material and the top may be provided with other characteristics to produce music or other desired sounds or the like as is well known in the art. Also the slot and groove of the holder may be reversed so that the device may be held in the right hand.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination of a spinning top and a holder for use in the spinning of the top, said top comprising a spindle, a top body on said spindle having an annular opening exposing said spindle and a portion with an opening in which a spinning cord may be engaged, said holder comprising a generally U-shaped body having a bight or connecting portion of a length substantially corresponding to the length of said spindle, and leg forming end portions substantially at right angles to such bight or connecting portion and slightly longer than the diameter of said top, a laterally disposed portion extending from said bight or connecting portion and forming a handle for said holder, said leg forming portions respectively having a slot and a groove in their ends to receive the ends of the spindle of said top with the latter providing a support for the lower end of said spindle, a lever pivoted on said holder and having an arm with a resilient friction surface for engagement with the side of said top remote from said holder, the arm of said lever being yieldably urged against said top whereby a predetermined pulling force will be required on a spinning cord to overcome such friction and cause release of said top to permit it to spin, the bight or connecting portion of said holder having an opening through which a cord can pass, said opening being so disposed that when said spinning cord is pulled it will tend to force the point of said top toward the respective supporting end portion of said holder and thereby avoid substantial frictional contact between the end portion of said holder and the upper portion of said top.

2. The combination of a spinning top and a holder for use in the spinning of the top, said top comprising a spindle, a top body on said spindle having an opening exposing said spindle and a portion in which a spinning cord may be engaged, said holder comprising a body having a bight or connecting portion of a length substantially corresponding to the length of said spindle, and leg forming end portions substantially at right angles to such bight or connecting portion and slightly longer than the diameter of said top, a laterally disposed portion extending from said bight or connecting portion and forming a handle for said holder, said leg forming portions respectively having a slot and a groove in their ends to receive the ends of the spindle of said top with the latter providing a support for the lower end of said spindle, a lever pivoted on said holder and having an arm with a friction surface for engagement with the side of said top remote from said holder, the arm of said lever being yieldably urged against said top whereby a predetermined pulling force will be required on a spinning cord to over come such friction and cause release of said top to permit it to spin.

3. A holder for spinning a top having a spindle comprising a plastic body in the form of a yoke with a handle adapted to be gripped and a pair of top spindle engaging arms disposed in substantially parallel relation each having a slot to receive one end of the spindle of the top and with the slot in the arm in which the point of the top is received provided with a horizontal supporting portion, said yoke having an opening between said arms for a spinning cord located in a manner to exert downward pressure on the top, said body having a pivot thereon and an arm swingably mounted on the pivot on said body for retaining said top in said holder and having a portion engageable with said top on the remote side thereof which upon the rotation of the top by the spinning cord will release said top.

4. A holder for spinning'a top having a spindle comprising a plastic yoke having a handle adapted to be gripped and a pair of top-spindle-engaging arms disposed in substantially parallel relation one having a slot to receive one end of the spindle of the top and the other having a groove to receive the other end of the spindle, said yoke having an opening between said arms located in a manner to cause a spinning cord to exert pressure toward the lower end of the-top, and an arm swingably mounted on said body for retaining said top in said holder, said arm being constructed to engage said top and to release the same upon the application of pressure to a spinning cord wound around said spindle sufficient to cause rotation of the top by the spinning cord.

5. The structure of claim 1 having a yieldable covering on said swingably mounted arm for releasing said top upon the creation of pressure suificient to overcome friction between said top and said arm.

6. The combination of a spinning top and a holder for use in the spinning of the top, said top comprising a spindle, a top body on said spindle having an opening exposing said spindle and a portion in which a spinning cord may be engaged, said holder comprising a body having a bight or connecting portion of a length substantially corresponding to the length of said spindle, and leg forming end portions substantially at right angles to such bight or connecting portion and slightly longer than the diameter of said top, a laterally disposed portion extending from said bight or connecting portion and forming a handle for said holder, said leg forming portionsbeing of a construction to receive the ends of the spindle of said top, a member mounted on said holder and having an arm with a friction surface for engagement with the side of said top remote from said holder, said arm being urged against said top whereby a predetermined pulling force will be required on a spinning cord to overcome friction and cause release of said top to permit it to spin.

7. A holder for use in spinning a top having a spindle, said holder comprising a body having a bight or connecting portion of a length substantially corresponding to the length of said spindle, and leg forming end portions substantially at right angles to such bight or connecting portion and slightly longer than the diameter of the top and constructed to receive the ends of said spindle, a member mounted on said holder and having a portion with a friction surface for engagement with the side of the top remote from the holder, such portion being urged against said top whereby a predetermined pulling force applied to a spinning cord detachably held by said top will overcome friction and cause release and UNITED STATES PATENTS Harrington Jan. 25, 1921 Thoresen Dec. 19, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Apr. 5, 1933 Great Britain Jan. 25, 1934 Great Britain June 18, 1934 

